


I Want You To Want Me

by Leana_olicityy



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternative Universe - No Island, Bad Flirting, Dumb!Oliver, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Eye Sex, F/M, First Meetings, Flirting, Goth Felicity Smoak, Goth!Felicity, Man Whore Oliver, Misunderstandings, Oliver Queen Being an Asshole, Oliver doesn't have serial killer hair, POV Oliver Queen, Pining, Sassy Felicity Smoak, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Unresolved Sexual Tension, in jail, no Laurel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:27:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22640224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leana_olicityy/pseuds/Leana_olicityy
Summary: Oliver runs away from Starling City for one night to join Tommy in Boston, he was expecting fun but he definitely wasn't expecting spending the evening with a goth girl that will change him forever.aka Man whore Oliver meets Goth Felicity
Relationships: Oliver Queen & Felicity Smoak, Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak
Comments: 62
Kudos: 169





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i'm super nervous to share this ! This is my first non canon fic, a lot of people seemed excited to read this so I hope it doesn't disapoint anyone.  
> As you can see in the tags this is not a pre-arrow story this is an alternative universe, the island won't happen, Laurel doesn't exist in this story, Felicity won't become an IT girl...  
> The ratings will go up as the story continues.  
> This is a multichapter but I don't know yet how many.  
> I'd like to thank Nanda and Cerys for helping me writing the story with their advices <3
> 
> Anyway enjoy and leave kudos, comments, reviews if you want, i'd love to know what you thought of this :)  
> Also, English isn't my native language sorry if there are mistakes.

**' I want you to want me '**

  
  
  


_In a bar in Boston,_

  
  


She's by the bar when he notices her. Her long black hair blending perfectly with her dark outfit. He can't see her face from here, not that it really matters to him because the long tone legs wrapped in black fishnet stockings with the shining silver heels on her feet he sees are enough to convince him to go to her. Maybe she came with a friend and he could make this evening unforgettable. This night will be perfect to make him forget about the annoying day he just spent with his father telling him how much of a disappointment he is. He's young and wants to have fun _what's wrong about that?_ That's why he flied to Boston for the evening to join Tommy.

  
  


The black haired girl crosses her legs making the short skirt she's wearing raise higher on her thigh. _Yup, no way he's not having her tonight_.

  
  


Putting his irresistible smirk on his mouth he starts to walk toward her. Now that he's getting closer he can see her profile, her sharp jaw, her thin nose and plump lips that he can imagine around another thing that the straw she's drinking from. What gets his attention is the color of her lips, dark purple. He examines her as a whole now, her outfit, her black hair with streaks of purple, her lips, her dark eyeshadow.

  
  


That makes him pause, he's not really into these goth girls, they often have these weird fetishes so he tries to avoid them at all cost unless he's desperate. Not that he experienced a lot with them, one was traumatizing enough. That's why he usually goes to blonde bimbos, they are pretty basic, sure they probably only sleep with him for his reputation and his money, not that it bothers him, as long as he gets to have sex with them. Yes they are annoying because most of them don't understand that he's not looking for something serious, he's never going to call them back, he doesn’t care about their personal lives, in their dreams and interests. He has this rule that he doesn't sleep with the same girl twice so they don't get attached but because he never remembers their names that failed him before and resulted in a few slaps on his face and his balls bruised.

  
  


His black haired girl suddenly stands to talk to another girl and he's left with his mouth wide open. Her legs were something but her ass... he has seen a lot in his life, like a **lot** , but this might be the most beautiful one. _Ev-er._ The other girl leaves and his girl sits back again finishing her drink in one go. All the doubt he had a few minutes prior completely leaves him instantly.

  
  


N _o way he's not touching that ass tonight even if she's freaky. He can deal with it right?_

So he approaches her.

  
  


“ Hey there gorgeous, this dress looks really good on you but it would look better on my bedroom floor. ” he says with confidence looking down at her.

  
  


She sighs loudly and turns her back to him.

  
  


_Wait what?_

  
  


That never failed him before, she probably didn't see his face that's why. Taking the chair next to her he leans in.

  
  


“ So my name is Oliver-- ”

  
  


“ Why would I care? ” she interrupts him, still not looking at him.

  
  


“ So you can scream it tonight baby. ”

  
  


Unexpectedly, she laughs at that.

  
  


_Okay... Not quite the reaction he was looking for._

“ Oh my god that's so pathetic, does that usually work? ” She turns her head to him to show the amusement in her eyes.

  
  


_Wow_ he thought, she's really gorgeous. She has bright blue almond shaped eyes, shining and enhanced by the dark on her eyelids with long thick eyelashes. And now he can see the nose piercing she wears on the side that was hidden from him. It really suits her.

  
  


“ You are mistaking, I don't usually do this, Flirting with strangers in bars.”

  
  


She chuckles “right, and I’m blonde. ”

“ You're not my type anyway ” she continues while turning back to her empty drink playing with the straw.

  
  


Oliver is dumbfounded. That never happened to him. Ever.

_This woman is a mystery, has she seen his face seriously?_ _Does she need her glasses or what? That's why he never goes to the weird goths, something is wrong with her. That gorgeous face and those abs are everyone's type._

But Oliver likes a challenge, he is going to change her mind, nobody can resist him.

  
  


“ So you're not attracted to handsome? ” he grins.

  
  


“ You really like yourself huh? ” she responds and narrows her eyes.

  
  


“ Most girls like confidence in a guy ” he takes a sip of his drink " but you're definitely not like most girls babe. ”

  
  


“ Don't call me that unless you want me to stab my heels through your leg. ”

  
  


“ So you're proposing some physical contact now? ”

  
  


She raises one of her eyebrow as he smirks and continues “ Well it's not like you have given me your name... ”

  
  


“ And I won't give it to you. ”

  
  


“ Then maybe I should guess it, I kinda have that superpower. Let's make a deal, if I'm right you have to let me buy you a drink ” he holds his hand out for her to shake.

  
  


“ And if you're wrong? ” she says while ignoring the movement he did.

  
  


“ Well then you can buy me a drink. ”

  
  


“ Not very gentlemen of you. ”

  
  


“ I never said I was a gentlemen. If you prefer I’ll let you choose my punishment ” he sends her a wink.

  
  


Her lips part in surprise making him smirk more.

  
  


_I got you there._

  
  


He put one of his elbow on the counter examining quickly her face “ hum... let's see... you kinda have the face of a Ruby, or Isabella, maybe Candy, Yeah definitely something like that. ”

  
  


“ Oh do I really?” she shrugs slightly tilting her head to the side.

  
  


“ So am I right? ” he quickly says hopeful.

  
  


She turns to him and comes close, he can feel her warm breaths on his ear. He's surprised but not bothered by this change of behavior. The whole ' I don't care about you ' act turns him on (not that he would ever admit it).

  
  


“ I told you, I won't tell you my name ” she pulls back from him.

  
  


_Okay so ' shocked ' wouldn’t even be enough to describe how he feels at the moment._

  
  


“ What about our deal ? ”

  
  


“ I, never made a deal, you kinda just spoke to yourself. ”

He doesn’t get the chance to reply as she raises her left arm to have the attention of the barman.

  
  


_Fuck, her arms look as muscular as soft. Damn it, that woman will be the death of him._

  
  


“ One scotch, neat please ” she says sweetly to the man standing on the other side of the counter.

For a few minutes he can't speak, too focused on her. Especially on the sight of her violet lips wrapped around the glass and her throat moving every time she swallows the brown liquor.

Her eyes are closed as she appreciates her drink, his, can't even blink, he would be too offended to miss any of it.

As she finishes she throws the glass back onto the counter and licks the side of her lips where she spilled some of her drink. He can't stop the groan that escaped from his throat.

  
  


_The things he would like to do with that tongue..._

  
  


He tries to get himself together and not get lost in his thoughts, his very graphic, dirty thoughts about the gorgeous captivating woman in front of him.

  
  


“ So other than being sexy as hell, what do you do for a liv- ” he stops as she abruptly stands up and walks away from him.

  
  


His mouth stays open a few seconds.

  
  


_She really walked away from him… just like that?_

  
  


_Okay sure, he had some (rare) rejections over the years but never after he pulled the whole act._

_Why is she so indifferent to his charm and why is that so exhilarating ?!_

  
  


She makes him feel like no one else ever could, she's stirring something in him and yet she's not interested in him.

And he can't do anything about it.

  
  


_Who would have thought Oliver Queen would be the one to be rejected and running after a woman?_

_Especially a goth!_

  
  


He runs his fingers through his hair, it usually helps him but as he recently decided to cut his hair way shorter now it's useless, _this is so frustrating!_ he thinks.

  
  


_He came in this fucking city for fun, to forget about the frustration already existing at home and this evening is going the opposite as he was hoping for._

He takes a deep breath, and asks the barman a scotch. That will definitely help him relax.

Getting his drink in a few seconds, he quickly put it to his mouth, taking a biter sip that burns all the way down his throat making him instantly more relaxed.

  
  


After a few more sips he finally feels better, almost floating.

He leans back onto the counter and looks at the crowd of people dancing in the middle of the room, they all look so happy moving freely against each other. He wished he could be like that, just dancing without worrying about anything, only feeling the beat of the music throbbing in his veins. He continues to watch couples grinding against each other and groups of women jumping while singing lyrics. 

And then, he spots _her_. Right there in the middle of the mass of people, the black haired girl that he could recognize anywhere. She has her back to him and is swinging her hips side to side sensually to the rhythm of the music with her hands above her head.

  
  


He tells himself to look away but he can't. He's hypnotized by her movement, totally mesmerized by her hair swaying, brushing her shoulders every time she moves. She might be the most beautiful person he has ever seen.

  
  


_Wait what was that?_

“ _Beautiful ”?_

_He never finds women beautiful. Attractive, hot, sexy, ' fuckable ' sure, but beautiful isn't really a word he uses to talk about women. What the fuck did she do to him ?!_

  
  


He wonders if she can feel the weight of his eyes on her, scrutinizing every inch of her body because in the matter of a few seconds her movements become bigger and he finds himself staring at her round perky ass. He lifts his eyes to her face when she suddenly turns around and instantly locks hers with his. His heart starts to pound in his chest, he doesn’t dare to look away, too curious about what she's going to do.

She continues to dance facing him from afar with smug smile drawn on her full purple lips. He doesn't see anything else than her, all the other people dancing are gone, he doesn’t hear the voices of people talking next to him, it's just her and him. She's dancing for him and him only.

  
  


The music changes to something slower as his breathing quickens. She still doesn't look away from his gaze when she runs her hands sensually on her body, starting at the top of her thighs, her very apparent thighs due to how short the skirt she is wearing is, they look so smooth through the fishnets stockings, soft and yet he can see how muscular they are, which gives him some very dirty mental images. She strokes her slim hips that are still swinging, lingering on her narrow waist, naked waist thanks to the crop top covering only her upper chest, he can see her small stomach tightening as her fingertips brush against it. She stops for a second there, searching something in his eyes, he holds his breath and finally she moves her hands higher, caressing the side of her perky breasts pressing against the fabric of her shirt. After a few moments she touches the straps of the small black shirt, showing her delicate collarbones, she fondles her neck with the back of her hands before passing her fingers against her scalp to eventually stroke her hair, before letting it drape on her back continuing her previous dancing.

  
  


He knows it happened quickly, so quickly no one else noticed but yet, it felt like it was hours for him. And he's grateful because these images are stuck in his brain forever.

  
  


He let go of the breath he didn't realize he was keeping in, letting his jaw wide open at the act she just did. He thinks he died a little, _oh boy, what a way to go !_

He feels so warm right now, he could say it's from the alcohol but it would be a lie, he knows it's not considering he can feel his cock throbbing against his thigh. He feels so aroused by her dancing so erotically. He focuses back on her as she winks at him.

_That evil minx ! She perfectly knows what she just did to him!_

  
  


She tilts her head and she raises one of her eyebrow looking at him expectantly.

 _Oh ?_ Does she want him to join her ? 

A wave of excitement goes through his whole body thinking about being pressed to hers, thinking about nuzzling her neck, thinking about the smell of her hair... Goosebumps appear on his skin and just as he takes one eager step to her direction she turns her back to him and grabs the man standing behind her, says something in his ear and begins to dance with him.

  
  


He's astounded.

_Is she his karma for all of the girls he treated badly? For all of those he cheated on and abandoned when it became even slightly serious?_

  
  


He orders another drink and stares at her with tight jaw and specifically he stares at the hands of the guy caressing her body, how much he wishes it would be his.

_What's that feeling in his chest, making his blood boil?_

_Is that... jealousy?_

  
  


_No way. He's not jealous, he never is. Ever._

_Some women feel jealous when he's with another, some men feel jealous of him for having all of those people wanting him ( or because he slept with their girlfriends... ) But he never felt himself like that, why?_

_Maybe he never cared enough about these women to feel jealous, but then why would he feel jealous about that stranger ! He doesn’t know her! He doesn’t even have her name !_

_But yet he's so infatuated with her._

  
  


She turns around facing the tall man grinding against her, his hands previously on her stomach going directly to her bottom. He continues to stare imagining himself instead...

  
  


He gets lost in his thoughts when a loud sound erupts from the side of the room, lots of broken beer bottles are laying on the ground which gives him the explanation of the noises. Then, a tall man wearing what looks like a very expensive suit starts to argue with that small woman next to him wearing a short black dress, her dark brown hair messy on her back. By the way they scream, they look as equally drunk. They're making a mess, she's pushing him, he pushes her back and from that, people around join the fight. Another guy comes and punches the suit-guy in the face.

  
  


_Argh all of this is really messy_ , this evening is definitely not like he was expecting, he tries to ignore the people screaming and the young barman freaking out calling the cops. He doesn't care about all this, it's not his problem, he came here to have fun and for now he's not having any.

  
  


With that thought he looks back to his goth girl ( _he really shouldn't calling her ‘ his girl ’ damn it )_ and he's shocked when he doesn’t see her anymore. He focuses his attention on the crowd but she's gone. She left. She's not here anymore.

  
  


_Well, this evening definitely sucks._ He closes his eyes, squeezing them shut for a moment.

He tries to ignore the way his stomach drops because it would mean things he's not ready to think about.

  
  


_He's never gonna see her again, and he doesn't know her name. He'll never find her again..._

  
  


“ Hey buddy you're okay? ” Tommy appears at his side with a huge smile and two ladies under his arms looking at him curiously.

  
  


“ Yeah great. ”

  
  


“ Are you having fun? I told you Boston is wild ! ”

  
  


“ Yeah that, I’ve noticed ” he shrugs.

  
  


“ Anyway we're heading out the three of us ” he wiggles his eyebrows “ you'll be okay here right? ”

  
  


“ Or maybe you could join us ? ” the girl at Tommy's left says with a seductive smile but his mind drifts to the purple smirk he can't forget about.

  
  


“ No I'll pass thank you, and yeah don't worry I'll take a cab, you know I have to get back to Starling tomorrow anyway. ”

“ As you want, bye ! ”

  
  


As he watches them step away, he barely resists the will to slap himself.

  
  


_Did he just refused a foursome? Okay now he's scared, this isn't him, he must be sick. Maybe that goth girl was a witch or something? She made him crazy._

  
  


He needs another drink.

  
  


* * *

  
  


After a few minutes of drinking looking at the people dancing hoping for her to appear at any instant he shakes the disappointment feeling in his chest and takes a deep breath.

This night is not over, it means something good can still come out of it. He can start by looking for a woman he can spend the night with, okay it's not the one he would want to fuck but maybe if he closes his eyes it could work? 

_God, he's such a dick._

  
  


He stands, leaving money on the bar and decides to go outside, breathe some fresh air to clear his thoughts. As he steps in the street the wind blows in his face, it feels good.

He also knows what could feel good right now, searching into the side pocket of his jacket he pull out his box of cigarettes and the lighter.

He lights it quickly, standing against the wall crossing his feet at the ankles looking at the cars driving away in the street before putting it to his mouth and inhaling deeply, keeping the smoke a few seconds in his lungs, letting it relax him from inside out before exhaling.

With the few drinks he had before that makes him floaty. He looks around to the voices he can hear around him, hoping maybe to see _her_ again.

But of course she's not here.

_Why is she stuck into his system like that?_

  
  


He needs another cigarette.

* * *

He's staring into nothingness when he's startled by:

  
  


“ Do you know that smoking makes your penis shrink? ”

  
  


He chokes with the smoke and coughs while turning his head to the person trying to kill him and meet the beautiful blue eyes he has been looking for all night.

His eyes bulge when he understands what she said, and before he can actually get something out she continues.

  
  


“ Yeah there's this study from Boston University of Medicine from like 1998, it's totally legit ! As if smoking wasn’t already bad you know, lungs, heart diseases, but dicks too ! That's so horrible... not that I would know obviously, cause I don't have one, nope, this " pointing between her legs " is a penis-free zone.” She seems caught off guard with what she said and squeezes her eyes shut, as for Oliver, he can't pick his jaw up.

“ Oh my god, not like that ! That's so not what I meant! Uh what I did mean was that it's dangerous because the chemicals inside the cigarette injure the blood vessels of the penis, so no blood, no stretch no erection and that's really bad. The worst thing is that it can be permanent ! Uhm the study is actually a little funny they interviewed 200 man's dicks-- 200 men about their dicks i mean ! obviously dicks can’t talk, even though it could be interesting if they did cause- huh... anyway smoking shrinks your dick. ”

  
  


She finally stops when she notices the horrified look on Oliver’s face by pressing her lips in a thin line.

  
  


He stares at her, his mouth still open and his eyes wild, he was not expecting this babble from her especially not that words vomit about his dick.

  
  


_She's really full of surprises..._

  
  


After getting his thoughts together, he considers the cigarette in his hand, he observes it with a disgusted look and throw it violently on the floor like it offended him.

  
  


_It did._

  
  


“ Oh poor him, I'll never mistreat him again like that ” Oliver says looking at his crotch with his eyebrows drawn together.

  
  


She takes a few steps to get closer to him “ Are you really talking to your little guy like that ? ” she laughs, her eyes shining with amusement.

  
  


He gasps “ He's not little ! Nothing about me is little ! ”

  
  


“ Well definitely not your ego. ”

  
  


“ He is NOT little ” he repeats ignoring her comment tightening his jaw “ he's very useful, which you could find out by yourself. ” he looks almost desperate for her to believe him.

  
  


She doesn't say anything for a while, and he thought maybe she might be considering his offer. Then she walks closer to him, so close that if she takes another step they would be chest to chest. He looks down at her, she is wearing heels but she's still very small comparing to him, he doesn't mind the height difference.

  
  


_Not at all..._

  
  


She narrows her eyes at him “ I don't like guys like you. ”

  
  


_What's wrong with her ?! It's the second time this evening she says that. She should seriously consider an appointment at an ophthalmologist._

  
  


“ And why's that? ” he says on a defensive tone.

  
  


_God she is so infuriating and yet all he wants to do right now is push her against the wall and ravish her._

  
  


They are both breathing hard, just staring into each others eyes, he notices her pupils dilating, the darkness taking over the blue of her eyes.

  
  


“ Cause I know how guys like you are. They think they're irresistible, and imagine they can get any woman they want because they have a pretty face, man whores, only caring about fucking as much as possible, man whores who only care about their personal pleasure and leave their partners very very unsatisfied. ”

  
  


He gasps as she smiles at him “ that's so not true ! I'm not like that ! ”

  
  


“ Aren't you? ”

  
  


“ No I'm not ! I'm very good and I know what I’m doing ! ” he was getting angry now, okay maybe she wasn't wrong about the man whore part but he wasn't selfish in bed, he's not that kind of guys just using bodies for relief, no, he likes to give pleasure to the women he has sex with. He might not know their names but he always makes sure they have as much fun as he does.

  
  


“ Is that true huh? ”

  
  


“ Yup ! And now you'll never find out about it. ”

  
  


She crosses her arms “ So that's it ? After spending the whole night trying to get into my pants now you changed your mind? Does strong women repulse you or something? ”

  
  


_Nope definitely not, it was actually super hot and very arousing_ not that he would ever admit it to her, especially not now because he was pissed at her.

  
  


“ So now you want to ? ” he raised his arms up, his voice increasing volume, he was getting frustrated by her change of behavior.

  
  


_What did it mean? Was she into him?_

  
  


“ Absolutely not! I'm really not trying to catch an STD ” she says very loudly.

  
  


“ Then what are you doing here ?! ” he responds as loud as her, exasperated.

* * *

They were still yelling, standing way too close to each other when the police officer arrived.

  
  


“ Hello” he intercepted the barman “ I was called for a tall white man and a small dark haired white woman causing trouble in the bar could you please indicate me where they could be ? ”

The barman looked a little lost not really remembering how this couple were like, as he tried to think about it more both men' s attention were drawn to Oliver and Felicity having a heated conversation. The police officer raised an eyebrow and the other man raised his shoulders while shrugging.

  
  


The policeman took his decision.

“ Hey you two ! ” he yelled as he walked toward them, Oliver and Felicity both looked at him confused then stared back at each other.

  
  


Oliver smirked down at her and winked.

“ I guess we're gonna spend the night together after all.”

[ If you read this from " fanfic pocket archive Library" app, don't. I never consented my work to appear on another platform, especially one that make money out of it. Ao3 is free for a reason. ]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is wondering... The study is real😂
> 
> So what did you think ?
> 
> We're you expecting this end ? Are you excited to see what happens next?
> 
> Thank you for reading ! If you want leave a comment or you can tell me on Twitter @smoakgoth


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity are arrested together and have to survive a night together in jail without killing each other.
> 
> Learn a little more about Felicity! 
> 
> Things happen 👀 
> 
> \- manwhore Oliver and goth Felicity -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyy !  
> Sorry it took me so long to write this chapter I had zero motivation it was crazy. But it's a long chapter ! 
> 
> Enjoy and tell me what you think of it ;)  
> I would really appreciate if you could leave comments / kudos ( if you want )

I Want You To Want Me 

LAST CHAPTER:

  
  


– _The policeman took his decision._

“ _Hey you two ! ” he yelled as he walked toward them, Oliver and Felicity both looked at him confused then stared back at each other._

_Oliver smirked down at her and winked._

“ _I guess we're gonna spend the night together after all.” –_

  
  


* * *

  
  


“ Are. You. Fucking. Kidding. Me. ” is the first thought on Felicity's mind.

“ I'm gonna kill him ” is close second.

Obviously she's not going to do that because she didn't make it to MIT at 16 years old to end up in prison for a stupid guy.

Tonight was supposed to be fun, a stress-less night, a relief from the pressure of the finals she passed this week. When her best friend Nina suggested to go out to celebrate, Felicity agreed easily, she wanted to come out of her comfort zone and meet new people. Don't get her wrong, she likes hanging out on the campus with her friends but people get too focused on work and talk only about studying. Sometimes she just wants to think of something else, she wants to be normal, not a genius working her ass off to build the company she dreamed off for so long, just Felicity, a woman who likes to have fun.

Felicity isn't shy, not anymore, not since she got here. Shes never had an issue with making friends at MIT even if she's the youngest of her group of friend, no one ever made that a problem. She's opinionated her mom would say, basically she doesn't take shit from anybody, if someone says something wrong she wouldn't be scared to confront them. She knows what she wants and isn't afraid to ask.

She met Nina on her first week in MIT when some guy groped her in class, Felicity slapped him and Nina kicked him between the legs. From that moment they both knew they would always have each other 's back. They became close quickly, they're very similar except that Nina is taller, her hair is cut short to her shoulders, dyed a bright purple, and her eyes are dark brown.

Nina really helped her with her confidence, she was the first person that completely understood Felicity, she never felt accepted for who she was before, she made her see herself as beautiful and sexy and made her realize she should never feel self conscious for her intelligence and her body. There wasn't any ambiguities in their relationship, sure, they hooked up sometimes but there wasn't any romantic feelings involved and they both knew that. They were just having fun.

Felicity likes having fun that's for sure, since she got here she made a bunch of friends, it was nice having people like her, that understood her. She didn't really date though, there wasn't really time for that and it wasn't what she was looking for anyway.She wasn't shy to hook up with people either, men or women whoever she found attractive and knew how to make her feel good. Just fun with no feelings. It didn't happen very often though because of her schedule and her wariness of people.

But always seeing the same kind of people at MIT was getting boring, now that she's 18 she wants to explore and experiment, discover new things, so when Nina insisted they meet new people, going out in a bar was the best option.

It was supposed to be fun. It was for a while, Nina and Felicity got to that bar at the other side of the city so they would be sure to meet people they never saw before and definitely not from MIT. They drank and danced together, they laughed a lot, carefree happiness on both of their faces. It felt good.

Until Felicity checked her phone to see 18 texts from her mom ranting about her father's lack of responsibility, it really crashed her mood. Their relationship is one of the reason she left so far away from home, she couldn’t take all the fighting anymore. When she left, her mom finally decided to go through a divorce but her dad was making it complicated. Not that she cared a lot about that, since she left two years ago he distanced himself from her and barely check on her. Nope, she didn't care about that or about him, yes, she will pretend it doesn't hurt that he doesn't care about her.

So all the happiness she felt a few minutes prior was gone and that sucked a lot, this night was supposed to be fun. She was supposed to dance until she felt sick, to laugh so much her throat hurts and tears would come out of her eyes, her heart was supposed to be light instead of the heavy, deep feeling she had.

So she sat at the bar drinking a very sweet cocktail, sex on the beach (what’s up with that name? she's sure it's not as good as it seems with the sand and all that, a nice way to have an UTI for sure ) if she recalls what Nina ordered for both of them before she went to the table at the side of the bar to flirt with that pretty blonde. Soon after Nina asked her if she would be fine staying here if she left with the girl, Felicity responded with a wink and a teasing smile. So she sat at the bar, alone, drinking her glass when HE appeared.

Well, she had felt his eyes on her for quite some time before he came to her, it was impossible to ignore the weight of his eyes on her body. She didn't really like that, being objectified that way, she was more than a body dammit !

So went he approached her with that terrible pick up line and that ridiculous smile she thought she could play with him a little, make him realize no one would ever fall for that. She wanted to make him crazy. By the look he gave her after every time that she spook, it worked like a charm. He was so surprised of her attitude and that made her want to see how he would react the more crazy she made him.

So she made him believe she would play his 'guess her name' game ( as if she would ever give her real name to a guy like that, yes she won't lie he was hot but definitely not a good person and her life was complicated enough to bring a guy like that into it ) and then when she left him in the middle of a sentence, his face was priceless.

After that she wondered what he would do if she danced, so she teased, shamelessly, and it was exhilarating to see his reaction to every move she made, even when she danced with that other guy. He almost looked jealous, which was such a weird reaction because he didn't even know her. That's the reason she went to the bathroom after the people started fighting on the back of the bar, because his eyes became too intense and she didn't know what to think about that.

She just wanted to have fun playing with him, she never imagined being arrested with him!

Especially for something they didn't do that was a total misunderstanding. She never wanted to punch someone more than when Oliver told her that “ I guess we're gonna spend the night together after all ” line. And since he's really really stupid, he tried to argue with the police officer which resulted in them both being here, in that jail cell, together for the night.

This night was supposed to be fun, and right now it was the opposite of it and oh! she was mad, so mad at him for ruining it, because she's here, with him.

“ Can you stop pacing it makes me nauseous ” suddenly interrupts her train of thoughts, she stops walking wondering when she started and turns her head so fast to look at him, sitting on the bench, his head in his hands looking at her. She narrows her eyes at him.

“ I wouldn't be pacing if I wasn't here ! Which is entirely your fault so shut up ” she goes to sit at the further end of the bench. The furthest she could get from him.

She's mirroring his position, holding her temples hoping to make the headache she feels behind her eyes go away.

For some time they just stay like that, comfortable with the silence and the occasional sighs leaving Felicity's mouth. Then they both lift their heads when they hear the sound of feet coming their way.

Before she can think of anything Oliver is on his feet walking quickly to the door cell.

Her heart starts to beat faster.

  
  


_oh no what is he gonna do ??_

  
  


“ Hey! HEYYY! ” he yells “ can you- ” he suddenly stops when a female police officer arrives in front of their cell “ oh helloooo to you... ” he speaks slowly while (not discretely at all) checking the woman out.

Felicity straightens up, her mouth falling open shocked by the level of his dumbness.

  
  


_Is he fucking kidding me ?! He's really gonna fuck everything up because of his man whore attitude ?!_

  
  


“ What do you want ? ” the woman replies politely but with an apparent annoyed face.

  
  


“ All of this is a huge misunderstanding ! We are not the people causing trouble in the bar it wasn't us so it would be great if you could let us go ” he pauses, closes his eyes for a second and when he open them again a grin is painted on his mouth “ and maybe after we can improve both of our nights ” he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

  
  


_Is this a fucking joke !_

  
  


Felicity gasps loudly, then shakes her head and puts it back between her hands, she looks through her fingers to see the woman get closer to Oliver, check him out like he did earlier, crosses her armsand presses her lips in a thin line.

“ Do you want to be charged with harassment ? ”

Oliver swallows loudly and his eyes widen, all he can do is shake his head weakly.

“ Great, but just for that you'll stay in here longer. ” she turns around and leaves.

“ OH no ! ” he starts pacing in front of the door.

“ Oh no no no ! My parents are going to kill me ! I was supposed to be back to Starling tomorrow to attend that fucking important meeting in the morning ! If I miss it they will be so mad and they'll-- ”

Felicity groans “ I don't care if you're panicking just do it quietly. It's your fault we're in here so stop crying for a minute at least ”

“ How is it my fault...? If you didn't follow me outside we wouldn't be in this position in the first place. ”

She gets up and takes a step to him, “ How self centered you must be to think I would follow you around like a pet. For your information I was going outside for fresh air not to end up being awake all night because of you! Ugh that came out very wrong...” she winces and he laughs out loud throwing his head back with his eyes closed.

She takes the time to truly look at him, he's really handsome and that laugh shows another part of him, someone happier, freer, more natural. She wishes he would be this person more, instead of the asshole he apparently likes to play ( don't get her wrong he's still a douchebag, but maybe he's not a lost cause and some good is still in him ? Huh maybe she's hoping for too much)

When he opens his eyes again they just stare at each other until they get interrupted by the police officer from earlier.

“ Miss you can make your phone call now, and you, ” she eyes him up “ will go after her ”.

She quickly gets up and doesn't look back at him.

* * *

When it's Oliver' s turn, he tries to think quickly who he could call during the small walk to the phone. Definitely not his parents, they will be disappointed enough that he's not going to show up to the meeting so if they knew it's because he's in jail they would be so so angry. It's in that moment he realize he doesn't have that many people in his life... no one who cares enough for him that would help him with nothing to gain in return.

He has Tommy. Tommy who was probably extremely busy with two gorgeous women at the moment, the last thing Oliver wants to do right now is interrupt … that.

But he doesn’t have a choice, someone has to pay his bail and Tommy definitely has the money. Now he just have to hope he will pick up, he's his only option.

“ common ….. ” Oliver whispers on the third ring before getting the voicemail.

He tries again a second time and when he ends up getting the voicemail again the officer sighs loudly clearly annoyed.

Hopefully third time is the one.

On the second ring tone he's getting stressed. What is he gonna do?

“ Dude ! This really ain't the right time ! You should have come with us when that beautiful lady asked you now you lost your chance. I have to go now- ”

“ Tommy please I need your help, I’m in trouble. ”

“ okay ? What's going on? ”

“ long story but I'm in jail and I need you to bail me out and the girl I was with too probably, the sooner the better. ”

“ Ollie you know I’m busy right now... ”

“ I wouldn't ask if it wasn’t important. ”

“ Tommy come back we're lonely” Oliver can hear through the phone before Tommy's response “ yes ladies just a sec ! Okay Oliver I’ll come get you in the morning or something when I’m done, see you soon bye ! ” and then he hangs up.

Oliver is a little disappointed he doesn't care that much about him and the situation but he would have probably done the same thing so he doesn’t have the right to feel like that.

When he gets back to the cell, Felicity is laying down on the bench on her back with her knees bent hugging her arms with her eyes closed.

“ Can you not lay like that, I can see your panties it's distracting ”

“ I don't wear any ” she responds speaking each words slowly without opening her eyes.

He chokes on nothing “ **What** ?! ”

Still keeping her eyes close she smirks “ now I know you can't see it ”

He groans and rubs his eyes.

“ Urgh why do you always do this to me ? ”

“ Why do you always fall for it ? ” she chuckles.

She moves to sit leaving some place for him to do the same, for some time they just stay sitting next to each other in total silence.

When Oliver sees Felicity shiver in his peripheral vision he turns his head to observe her. The black sexy clothes that got him crazy earlier now seem very uncomfortable to spend the night in this cold cell. So he instinctively takes off his jacket and he puts over her shoulders.

She only opens one eye “ You don't have to do that ”

“ Come on can't you just accept that without fighting for once ? ”

she raises an eyebrow “ I thought you weren't a gentleman? ”

“ I can be nice ”

she stares at him.

“ Sometimes. It can happen. occasionally. ”

“ Fine ” she whispers and puts the jacket around her.

He smiles at his victory.

“ So how did the phone call go ? ”

“ We're making conversation now? ”

“ We have a lot of time to kill so shut up answer the question ”

“ If I have to shut up how can I answ- ”

“ And please stop with that fake annoying attitude ”

“ You're so bossy ”

She rolls her eyes.

“ Okay okay fine. It went okay. My friend will come in the morning to bail us out ”

“ What do you mean us ?! ”

“ Well I figured I would- ”

“ I don't need your money, I can get out of here by myself ”

“ I just thought ”

“ What? That I am after your money ? No thank you, I can take care of myself just fine ”

“ Okay okay sorry for assuming that I was just trying to be nice, you could also try it sometime ! ”

She glares at him.

“ So now that we have nothing else to do other than talk... can you give me your name ? ”

“ I told you that will not happen Oliver ”

“ It's not fair you know my name ! ”

“ Of course it's the first thing you said with that ridiculously bad pick up line ”

“ My pick up lines aren't that bad … ”

She laughs “ please ! It looks like you chose it out of a website that give advices on how to hit on women so they would have sex with you ”

He shakes his head but doesn't answer.

“ Wait... did you ?! ”

“ What no ! I don't need internet to tell me how to approach women ”

“ I still can't believe some people fall for it ”

“Huh anyway. What are you doing in Boston ? ”

“ I study here ”

“ What, fashion ? ”

“Is that all you think women can study ?! No, I'm at MIT, I’m doing a Masters of Science in Computer Sciences and Cyber Security ”

“ Oh so you're **smart** smart, hot with a brain I would have never guessed from your looks ”

She tightens her jaw “ some people aren't what they look like but you, on the contrary are transparent. So let me guess, you're a rich playboy with daddy issues with one interest, partying all the time and living on mom and dad's trust fund ? Doing nothing in his life except flirting and fucking people without caring about anyone. ”

“ What's so wrong with that ? have you never hooked up with a stranger? ”

“ I have actually, but they always knew exactly what they would get from it, I never lied, manipulated or tried desperate lines to get into their pants. I also never slept with the entire city's population. ”

“ Why are you judging me anyway? You don't know me. We're strangers you've known about me for like barely a few hours ” Oliver gets defensive, not used to people calling him out. He's a Queen no one ever dares to confront him.

“ Am I wrong ? Can you honestly say that I am wrong? ”

He doesn't answer he just rubs his eyes with his palms he just whispers after a few minutes “ I’m really a fucking cliche ”

At that moment Oliver looks a little ashamed, the way she made him feel this evening wasn't even as bad as how the women he sleeps with must feel, and yet it made it crazy to be played like that.

“ So what is it like being the perfect student, the perfect daughter too I imagine ?” he tries to change the subject, not yet ready to think about his behavior and her thoughts on him.

She looks away from him “ I’m not. I'm not perfect at all, there's a reason I left at 16 years old to go to the furthest college away from home, yes MIT was always my dream but it allowed me to get away because I couldn't handle all the family drama. I'm far from perfect, but I try at least to be good. I try. I care. ”

“ Mhm... ”he only responds but the truth is that what she said makes him think.

“ So why do you have to go back to Starling City so bad? ”

“ I live in Starling, my family pretty much owns the city. I have that very important meeting in the morning with the board to see if one day I will be fit to take over the company... it's clear now that it's not happening. ” he looks down on the floor.

“ Then why are you at the other side of the country to party if you know you have such an important meeting the day after? ”

He sighs “ I wanted to have fun... it didn't seem like a bad idea at the time ”

She chuckles “ rich people problems … you never thought it could go wrong because you knew whatever happened your family's money and name would always save you and could give you any job you want or give you opportunities even if you don't deserve it. While normal people have to fight like hell to get those you have them offered on a golden plate. ”

“ It's not always like that... but this time I screwed up... and that internship was the last option, I dropped out of 4 colleges because I wouldn't take it seriously or would sleep with my teachers, or both. But that's will probably be the last straw for my parents they will cut me off. ”

“ Am I supposed to feel sorry for you? ”

“ No I guess not. Urgh i'm just tired of everything, all the expectations of me. ”

“ Is that why you play that dumbass very unlikable man whore role ? Are you unconsciously trying to get your parents to cut you off so no one would have expectations or hope for your future. ”

“ Geez don't hold back ”

“ I’m just being honest ”

“ I never put so much thoughts in it but maybe you're right... it hurts being the disappointment of the family but that life isn't made for me and I don't know what to do other than being me even if this me is a mess ”

She turns completely to face him “ What you can do is be better, a better person, a better influence. I'm sure your family won't care if you don't end up being a CEO as long as you're truly happy and don't waste your life partying and drinking meaninglessly. You should find something you're truly passionate about, it doesn’t have to be prestigious it should make you want to tell everyone what you did when you come home after a long day, it should make your heart beat faster thinking of doing that job, not with stress or worry but because you're excited about it. You have that privilege of being able to do whatever you want. Don't waste it. Be better. ”

“ I could be better for someone like you, you could make me better ” he looks deep in her eyes.

She shakes her head “ that's not it Oliver, you have to be better for yourself, not your family, not a woman, you. You owe it to yourself.

He looks a little disappointed but nods. She smiles shyly.

She yawns and sits back onto the bench with her back against the wall and her knees drawn up to her chest. He watches her as she fights to keep her eyes open until she relaxes completely.

He puts himself in a similar position and thinks deeply about what she said, about how a stranger like her could see right through him so easily. Is it really the first impression people have of him? Is it really **only** what people see of him? Why does he suddenly care about what people think of him ?

Maybe he's tired of being seen as an idiot, but he's been like that for so long he doesn't know anymore who he is and what he could be. It's scary. That life was so easy, he had access to so much money without asking, countless women interested in him, he could be a piece of shit it never mattered because he still had his money and his status.

But how sad is this? How sad it is that no one cares for him outside of that ? How sad it is that no one ever asked him to be better except a fucking stranger ? He's 23 and he didn't do anything in his life except disappoint everyone... does he really want to continue that way ? He never had to make any effort in his life... maybe now it's time to try.

All of this is too much at the moment especially at that time of the night, so he closes his eyes and waits for the sleep to take him too.

* * *

Warm. So warm.

That's how Felicity feels when she wakes up, she doesn’t understand why she feels so warm. But she's comfy so she doesn't want to move. It's probably just the comforter... the comforter that just grabbed her ass.

She opens her eyes slowly and what she sees is a chest. Probably a man's chest considering the cologne she smells. She takes a few seconds to understand the position she's in. she's half sitting on him, her head fitting perfectly under his chin while one of his arm is around her waist and the other... on her butt. He hums quickly and since she's thrown onto him she felt it resonate through her body. That makes her remember the whole night.

_Holy shit ?!_

_When did they start cuddling ? When did she fall asleep ?_

She wants to move because he's so hot she's gonna burst (corporal temperature wise only right?). But she doesn't want to wake him up to see his smug face. Also one of her arms is holding his biceps and the other is just there, on his stomach, unapologetically touching his abs.

_Is it really all muscles??_

_huh_ she has to get out of the situation, but she's currently locked in a cell she can't go anywhere.

He suddenly squeezes her tight against him and freezes.

_So much for not being in his arms when he wakes up … should she play dead or something??? why is she freaking out ?_

“ I know you're awake ” he speaks with a deep voice and she jumps out of his arms, she would have fallen on her ass if he didn't have his arm still around her waist.

“ Uhm ” she doesn't move she just stays standing with his arm still around her.

And then … of course, it happens.

A big bright smirk appears on his lips when he says “ so we did sleep together after all ”

she sighs “ Yeah I guess we did. now you can tell all your friends you spend the night with a goth .”

“ It wasn't how I was thinking this evening would go but you know what, it wasn't that bad ”

She rolls her eyes and smiles “ speak for yourself mister ”

He smirks “ don't tell be you didn't sleep well because I’m pretty sure you drooled on me ”

Before she can think of something to respond to that humiliating information the police officer is in front of their cell.

“ There someone here that payed your bail miss, just a few minutes and you can go ”

“ And me ? ”Oliver asks

“ There's no one for you yet.”

He guesses Tommy forgot he was supposed to go back to Starling early.. but once again if he didn't put himself in tonight's situation he wouldn't have needed anyone's help. Once again it's no one's fault but his own and he can't blame his friend.

He nods. The police officer leaves again.

“ See, i told you I didn't need your money and that I could get out of here by myself. ”

He rolls his eyes.

“ So … now you definitely missed your meeting... how do you feel about that ? ”

“ Super good ! ” he stretches out “ now I have time to catch up on things I could have done last night and explore Boston's population to have fun with **all** of it ! ”

Her face falls a little, some disappointment appears and he remembers his thoughts before falling asleep. He wants to try to be better so why not start right now by not being an asshole?

So he starts again.

He takes a deep breath “ I feel free actually, I thought a lot about what you said earlier and I want to be better, or at least try. I want to be responsible of my future, I want to figure out things I like not just what people told me I should like, I want to earn money myself and I want it to be from something I am proud of. I'm gonna try.” he said the last part softly with a vulnerable smile.

She smiles.

“ I’m happy for you, I do believe you can become a good man and I’m proud of you for realizing you deserve it. ”

He stares at her with his eyebrows slightly drawn together “ so I guess it's goodbye ? ”

She let a breath go before standing on her tiptoes so that her face is at the same level as his, putting her hands on his cheeks and kisses him. At first it's soft, she's just testing the new feeling of his smooth lips on hers and then he kisses her back, one hand holding her head and the other around her waist holding her even closer.

When she sighs he doesn't hesitate before slipping his tongue inside her mouth, gentle but demanding. She grips his hair pulling his face closer as they deepen the kiss, no one wants to stop at that moment because everything will be over after, so they kiss, hard, they give everything to that kiss.

She nips at his bottom lips taking control of the kiss, and Oliver' s breath is taken away. She takes that opportunity to push his back against the wall and kisses him deeper. He takes as much as she gives. They're lost in their own bubble for what seems hours but it was only a few minutes. Felicity is the one pulling back. She pecks his lips one last time and she puts her hand on his left cheek and strokes it, she looks in his eyes now so much darker than they were before, filled with lust and want..

“ Maybe one day we'll see each other again ” he says with so much intensity, like it's a wish, a promise, a vow.

They hear the door being opened but none of them look away.

She smiles “ maybe ”

She steps away and turns to the door where a tall woman waits for her and takes her hand. But she doesn’t leave right away, no she pauses and turns one last time to look at him, he'll always remember her face in that moment.

“ goodbye Oliver ”

And then she's gone.

She's gone.

She left.

She left before he could learn her name.

She rocked his world and he doesn't even know her name.

He's probably never gonna see her again …

Now all he can do is what she asked him to do : try to be better.

So he's gonna do that, even if he never sees her again he wants to prove to her and himself to he can be a better person. And maybe … maybe along with that he'll find her again.

He didn't get her name but he got her message.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will they meet again ?
> 
> Who knows.... 
> 
> It was very important to me that Oliver gets better by himself, for himself rather than for someone. Also there was no way I would write a relationship between Felicity and Oliver when he was still an idiot. 
> 
> Was it good ?
> 
> Thank you for Miranda for fixing the mistakes !  
> And thank you to Nanda for being my rock though this story, seriously I couldn't have done it without her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I'm back! I'm really sorry it took me months to write this chapter, a lot of things happened in my life and my mental health hasn't been great which made it difficult to take time to write. Anyway! This chapter is important for Oliver's character I hope you enjoy it (and some parts make you laugh ;) )
> 
> I promise to have the next chapter written quickly, it will be one of the most important one of the story so stay tuned! If it's not posted in a month feel free to yell at me on Twitter
> 
> You can leave a comment or/and kudos if you want it's always appreciated :) 
> 
> As always, English isn't my native language so I'm sorry for occasional mistakes!

“I can do it, I can do it, I can do it” Oliver keeps whispering to himself, pacing in front of his father's office. His hands are sweaty despite the cold temperature of the room. He tries to take deep breaths to ease his nervousness.

Today is an important day. Today, he's going to prove he's capable of achieving something by himself, for himself. He will prove he's not worthless.

It's so stressful, it feels like it's the first time in his life he can show his family who he really is. He's nervous of their reaction and what they might think. He's scared they will reject or mock it, and that is the nerve wrecking. What if they laugh at him when he shows the truest, most honest part of himself?

Can he actually do it without their approbation and support? Yes, probably. But it would mean so much to see them proud of what he decided to become and how he took his life back into his own hands. It would mean _so_ _much_.

He thinks back to the events that occurred in Boston 5 months ago. He thinks about his goth girl. A smile appears on his lips instantly. She was so mysterious and fierce, she wasn't scared to speak up and to tell him his truth. She didn't try to be nice or to go easy on him, she was harsh and honest but it's what he needed.

He was a stranger to her and yet, even after the way he acted with her, she still saw he had potential to be a better person. He was a stranger to her and yet, she believed in him. She believed he could change and be better when no one else did. She rocked his world. In so many ways. She opened his eyes on his life, on what he's wasting, or how he treats people and how people treat him. She made him realize this isn't the life that he wants. She made him realize that he wants to fight for himself.

She changed his life. If only he had asked her number or a way to contact her again... Not only he would have liked to see her again to hang out to learn more about her, but he would have liked to show her what he became.

He never saw her again after, obviously, she's at the other side of the country it was very unlikely. Still, he always looks around, hoping to see her dark hair or her blue eyes staring at him.

But it was never her.

She hasn't left his mind. He can't stop thinking about her. Not a day during those 5 months he hasn't wondered about her. Oliver can't even look at other girls anymore, it's not that they not pretty because they are, it's just not _her._ Hooking up doesn't interest him anymore. That's what caught Tommy's attention first on Oliver's change. He was shocked and to be honest, Oliver was too. He just couldn't get over her.

He dreams about her sometimes, about the bright blue of her eyes, watching him so intensely and deeply, about her smile, that wide sassy smirk that makes him insane, and her full lips too. He remembers them like he was back in that jail cell, he remembers her taste during that kiss, the little noises she made and the way she held him close.

He remembers the way he felt at that moment, it was like he was kissed for the first time. It was exhilarating. It ended so quickly though. One second he's pushed against the wall discovering her shapes while she grabbed his shoulders, and the next, she's saying goodbye and he's alone in that cell.

After she left, he stayed the whole day until Tommy came to pay the bail in the late afternoon. He had the time to process what that incredible eventful night could change (and process that hot goodbye kiss). He prepared himself for the argument with his parents that was inevitable when he would get back to Starling, but also for the consequences. He had to figure out quickly who he is and what he wanted to become. He needed to figure out what he likes and what passionates him. With the difficulty of being cut off.

Coming home was... not pretty. Because Tommy came late in the day they also had to wait a full day after, due to a storm making it impossible to fly. His parents were furious, not only he didn't show up to the important company meeting, but he was two days late because he was partying on the other side of the country. There was a lot of yelling and disappointed looks. Those hurt the most, but at least it amplified his determination to change.

They cut him off that night. It was expected. Now he didn't have a choice. He owed it to himself and to his family. They left some money on his account the time he decided what he wants to do and find a new place to live. They looked so desperate when they asked him to stay low to the medias, to not make noise and not attract attention to himself. It was apparently crucial to the family and the company that his image change or at least doesn't get worst (if that's even possible). He left that same night, promising himself that the next time he would be there he would make his parents proud.

He stayed at Tommy's place for a few days the time to search for an apartment. His friend, on the other hand, didn't have the same realization as him regarding the way they lived. So they had a talk, a long talk where Oliver explained to him that he didn't want to be that rich irresponsible man whore anymore. He talked about what happened that night and told Tommy that it was also his chance and opportunity to change. He explained that he didn't think they could stay that close if Tommy stayed like they used to. He didn't think he could change if he saw his best friend destroy his life.

It took a few days for Tommy to agree and to realize he wants better too.

Tommy even proposed Oliver to stay at his place and to use some of his money but Oliver knew he had to do it by himself, he couldn’t rely on others anymore. He found an apartment with one bedroom not too expensive and moved in quickly.

One day, about a month after the night that changed his life, on his way back to the grocery store he saw a restaurant just at the end of his street. It looked intriguing with its dark green facade. What caught his attention was the small piece of paper hung against the window. He doesn't know why it made him stop and read it. But he did. And he's glad. The paper explained that it's a new restaurant and they're looking for a waiter/waitress that would occasionally help in the kitchen.

After reading, he walked away, he obviously didn't have the qualification of a cook or the experience of a waiter. But, every step made him feel heavier, and the knot in his stomach became stronger. Maybe this was it? He needed to find a job to be able to continue living in his new place now that almost all his fund money is gone. Maybe this was his chance to be independent and do something for himself?

He had nothing to lose, if the owners of the restaurant refused him, then too bad, he would look for something else. But if they accepted him, it was his opportunity to truly start his new journey.

So he applied.

And he got the job.

He actually got the job.

He stayed speechless for a full minute when the owner of the restaurant, John Diggle, told him. At that moment he couldn't believe it. For the first time in his life, he got a job, not because of his money or the name of his family, by himself.

Obviously John knew who he was, who doesn't? But it wasn't the reason he was hired. They had a long, honest talk before John took his decision, about Oliver's reasons to do this job, his situation, and his intentions. He wanted to make sure he wasn't going to back out two days after starting. He wanted to make sure it wasn't just to change his image to the media. But he quickly saw Oliver's determination to prove he can do that job and be helpful. He also told him about the Goth girl, since she's what sparked his yearn to be better.

So they made a deal, Oliver would first work for a trial period of 4 months, and if everything went well, John would propose a permanent job. It wasn't easy at first, even just waking up in the early hours of the day to help cooking. But also the looks of clients when they realized Oliver Queen was the one serving them. He hated that look of pity. He didn't need it.

Yes, at first he applied because he needed the money but it's different now. He realized how much he loved to cook. And apparently he's not that bad at it! According to Diggle's twins, JJ and Sara, who love when Oliver bakes them cake or any sweet dessert. John asked him more and more in the kitchen to teach him different recipes, and Oliver tries them at home, to show what he's capable to Tommy, who started working in Merlin Global after their talk, or to his sister Thea who's always so passionate about her culinary critics. Oliver felt proud to show them what he can accomplish and he loves seeing their faces when they're tasting his food.

Thea is the reason he's here, waiting in front of his father's office.

A day ago John confirmed that he's the right person for the job and made it permanent.

It was such a big step for Oliver.

He celebrated that night with his sister and in the late hours she evoked their parents. He remembers the conversation...

“ _Home feels so empty now though! Mom and dad are always at the office or to some event, I wish we could have some family time sometimes... all four of us obviously!”_

“ _We never had family time before I'm not sure it's going to happen now” Oliver mumbled._

_Thea grabbed his fore-arm “Yeah but now we're all adults I'm sure we can make time for us”_

_When Oliver's face fell she continued “I know you haven't been home since that day, months ago... Have you talked to our parents since then?”_

_Oliver took a long sip of his bear “Nope, neither of them have reached out, not even once”_

“ _And why didn't you?” she said carefully._

_He sighed and rolled his eyes “What would be the point? If they didn't even try to know how I was doing or even what my situation was like, it's clear that they do not care. And I've been busy at the restaurant.”_

“ _Exactly! You've been busy at your job! A job you're amazing at by the way, those éclairs you made for tonight were heaven sent. I'm sure they would be proud of you Oliver, for being responsible and seeing you so flourishing.”_

_He didn't answer and didn't look up from his bottle._

“ _Do you doubt it seriously?”_

“ _No! Yes... maybe. I don't know... I’m not ashamed of my job because I love doing it but I know it's not what they expected of me. I was supposed to take back this huge company and now I’m a cook, I know how they'll react, I know what they'll say, I know so well what kind of disappointed looks I’ll receive. So sorry if I don't want to lose my time with that, it's pointless.”_

“ _You don't know for sure, you could give them a chance... please! Invite them to dinner some day at your restaurant and cook to show them your skills. I know they'll be impressed and show you support. I'll be there too.”_

And that's why he's here. His baby sister is too convincing.

He stops pacing when he hears the door opening and the voice of his father.

The man in question walks out of the room without looking up from his phone. He's wearing a grey suit, Oliver knows what it means, it's for meetings with important people. Maybe it wasn't the best day to come...

“Ann, would you please get coffee for our next appointment, you know how Mr Miller get when-” Robert finally looks up and stops the moment he notices Oliver. He stares directly at his son, his eyes grow a little in surprise, it was barely noticeable, a fraction of a second that you could miss if you blink, and then they're back to the usual annoyed look.“Oliver... what are you doing here?”

His face shows no emotions. No affection. No love. Just annoyance.

Oliver's own face falls a little, his father does not seem happy to see him.

The older man crosses his arms and clears his throat “Are you going to stay here all day or are you going to tell me the reason why you came?”

“Uhm... I was hoping mom would be with you too” Oliver turns his head left and right, hoping to see the familiar blonde hair of his mother.

The older man sighs loudly “Oliver what did you do, again?”

“Oliver!” Moira Queen finally walks toward them, she puts her hands on her hips “What's going on? Do we need to call HR? Or our lawyers? Is it something with the police again? I swear Oliver if it's-”

“Can you both stop!” Oliver yells.

His parents are pulled back by the loud voice of their son. “Did you really think the only reason I would come is because I'm in trouble? Is that really what you expected of me when you cut me off?” the loud silence that follows is his answer.

“That's good to know... I shouldn't have listened to Thea.” he shakes his head and walks toward the elevator.

All of this is a mistake, he thought everything could go back to normal now that he's different, but could it? It was never normal in the first place. He changed. But his parents didn't.

He pushes the button, swallowing back the bitter taste of his disappointment.

The doors of the elevator open with a 'ding', he's about to step in when he hears:

“Wait, Oliver don't leave” his mother finally says with a steady calm voice, she's watching him with a sorry face “What did you want to talk to us about?”

Oliver waits a few seconds before responding, looking closely at her face and his father's to see if their interest is legit. Hers is. Robert doesn't even try to hide his boredom of the situation as he yawns and looks at his watch.

Oliver shakes his head, maybe it's not worth it, but he decides to do this anyway.

“I would prefer if we could talk about this in your office”. The blonde woman nods right away and her husband does the same after rolling his eyes.

The three of them walk into the room and sit down on the couch area. Oliver sits uncomfortably in front of his parents. The nervousness of the situation making him doubt.

He clears his throat and begins.

“I don't know if you tried to figure out what I did for the last five months, where I lived or how I survived without your money, I don't know if you even care. What I can see is that you were expecting me to fail. But I didn't, I found a job actually. A job I love and that I'm good at. I guess you were expecting me to stay at Tommy's place but I have my own place, if you had spent any time with Thea she probably would have told you about it. I'm happy, the happiest I've been in years. I just wanted you to know that I'm not a loss cause. Not anymore.” Oliver utters it all quickly, squeezing his fists, scared of finally seeing their reaction to his new life.

Moira's eyebrows raise, she looks surprised at the honesty of his son's feeling. It takes her a few seconds to understand everything Oliver said “Oh? What kind of job?” she asks curiously.

Oliver let goes of the breath he was holding on and smiles proudly “I work in a restaurant in town, I am officially a waiter but the owner let me cook a lot now that he taught me everything. That's actually the reason I came here, I want to prove you that I changed and that I’m invested in this, I would like for you two to come maybe this weekend and I’ll cook for you to show what I can do.”

“A cook... wow, I wasn't expecting that... but I'm really happy for you, of course we'll come, right Robert?” she turns her head to the man in question.

The older man scoffs rudely and looks at him with disdain “So the rumors are true... This isn't what you were supposed to do when I cut you off Oliver. You were supposed to stop your childish acts and learn you have to grow up. You were supposed to go back to college and actively prepare yourself to be at the head of Queen Consolidated not... be a waiter. Do you understand how you make me and our whole family look ridiculous by doing this job instead of the higher placed one made for you?!” Robert said coldly while massaging his temples.

Oliver gasps and his jaw tightens, holding back his anger “Don't you care that it would make me miserable? Don't you care that I'm not qualified for this, dad? Can you stop being Robert Queen, CEO of QC, and be my father for one fucking second of your life?!”

Robert narrows his eyes “How dare you! After everything I’ve done for you-”

“ENOUGH!” Moira snaps. “Both of you, stop. Robert this is out of line. Oliver, we're _both_ proud of you for doing this by yourself and we WILL come see your talent of cook. Right Robert?” she said the last part to her husband, making clear he doesn't have the choice to say otherwise.

After a long battle of looks he sighs and says “Yes, we'll come. But that doesn't change the situation, we're not giving you money again.”

Oliver stands up and opens the door “I don't need your money, I can take care of myself. Have a good day.”

And then he leaves.

He's disappointed by his father's behavior even though he knew how he would react. But now is his chance to prove him he was wrong and that he should believe in him.

That afternoon, he goes happily to work, excited about the big day at the restaurant. He's supposed to bake some souffles and prepare the room with romantic things for a client wanting to propose that night. He doesn't want to mess up because that client sounds very demanding, he asked for big balloons, confetti, a tone of roses and when (if?) she says yes, he even hired violinists for the big moment.

It seems way too much for Oliver and quite ridiculous but he's not the one getting married so who cares! Maybe that woman is into extreme romantic gestures like that too. That's not his problem, it's not like he knows her, he's just there to do his job. Happily, of course.

So he gets to work.

* * *

_What the fuck is she doing here?!_

It's not the first time she asks herself this question in the last few months.

Of course during that night in jail. With _Oliver_. That dumbass Oliver. He was hot that's for sure but his behavior was irritating. She often wonders if the words she said to him got to him or if he just ignored them, continuing his life like nothing. She knows it's probably the later but she has a little of hope he listened a little to her.

She had a hard time forgetting about him after that event. It's stupid seriously, he was just some random guy she spent the night with (not even like that). She's used to it, not getting attached to people, but yet she thinks about him sometimes. Nor for long of course, she's too busy for that. But sometimes she's walking in the street and walks past someone wearing the same perfume he had that night (she remembers it well since she fell asleep against him) and she recalls that evening.

When she left him, she regretted a little not giving him her name but she didn't have time to think about it too much since she was bombed with question by Nina. The other woman was so impatient to know everything about the evening, what led to them being in jail, and every detail about that kiss and what might have happened before.

Felicity couldn't understand why Nina was so passionate about this, it's not the first time she met someone, why was this different?

“ _I saw your face when we left”_ she responded with a smirk when Felicity asked.

Whatever that meant. She didn't want to figure it out. It was just a random guy. An idiot random guy that she didn't even sleep with so why would it be different?

It wasn't.

He wasn't.

After that eventful night, life went back to normal. She had a few weeks free before her semester start again and she had to find an internship for at least a year. She hoped to find a big company, something that would look good on her resume. She might have been biased choosing the city of the internship... Right now, she really regrets it...

Because what the fuck is she doing here?!

* * *

Oliver just finished writing “will you marry me” on four big souffles in cursive red icing when John bursts into the kitchen and sits down on the chair in front of him with a big sigh. Oliver looks up, careful not to put the red liquid everywhere.

“What's going on Dig? You're never stressed like this even when the room is full. Tonight is way easier since the client booked the whole restaurant for his proposal.”

“I'm not stressed, just irritated at the exigence of that guy. Thankfully it's just one night. They seam to have appreciated the dinner, at least he did, she looks a little weird, maybe she's just shy, whatever...” He shakes his head and look at the platter next to Oliver “Are you done with the dessert?”

“Almost! I just gotta write the name of the woman on the last big souffle and it will be ready”

“Great, could you serve it? Remember, keep a straight, professional, face even if you find this whole thing ridiculous.”

“Yes boss, of course.” Oliver chuckles, turning back to the last souffle.

“Even with the violinists, Oliver. And any balloons with his face printed on you could see. No laugh, no chuckle, at least not until you get back in here.”

“Yes I get it” Oliver responds as he finishes the last letter. He puts it on the plate next to the others little cakes. He smiles proudly, admiring his work, before showing it to the other man “Voilà! Just waiting for a yes.”

He cleans himself up a little, waits for the nod of Dig and walks out of the kitchen.

The first thing that hits him is the light. Pink. The light is pink in the whole restaurant. Then, it's the smell, instead of the usual scent of almost finished food, a heavy smell of rose spreads in the whole room. Looking around quickly he guesses it comes from those huge candles near the couple's table.

As he walks toward them, he can finally see the guy's face, he has long blonde hair below his shoulders and wear a white suit with a rose on the front pocket of his jacket. He has a guitar in his hand and looks like he's starting _the_ speech. Oliver can't see the girl's reaction since he's coming from behind her, he can just see her hair, her long black hair.

Oliver stops a few steps behind, waiting for the sign of the man to bring the souffles. Now he can totally hear him.

“My love, I wrote a song to celebrate our unique soul mate bond” he clears his throat, adjusts his guitar and begins singing in a high voice:

“Baby cakes I love you, you, you, all of you! Even your toenails, I will kiss them!

Oh my sugar bear I know everything about you, I know every part of you!

You're my honey bunny, you're mine until we die sweetie,

you'll take care of me like my mom and I’ll be your snuggle bug!

We will never part, cuddly pops I’ll always know where you are!

You're tied to me forever, so let me make you **my** treasure

ooooooh I love you, love you, love youuuu”

He snaps his finger and Oliver stops biting his bottom lip that was holding back the nervous laugh in his throat, realizing it's the moment. He pulls himself together, trying to do what Dig told him, not being judgmental and staying professional. He's just serving the dessert and then he's gone. He takes a deep breath, hoping it will stop the chills he got from that creepy song.

Oliver looks at his work one last time, checking everything is spelled right, observing the name of the 'lucky one', imagining the face that wears such a happy and pretty name. He shakes those thoughts away and walks around to face the woman.

For some reason his heart starts to beat faster.

He quickly puts the plate in front of her, steps back, smiles and looks at the woman's face to see her reaction.

But then...

No...

It's not possible...

It can't be?

Here?

How?

His eyes meet wide blue ones. Familiar eyes. He knows them. He remembers them. He could never forget about them. He dreams about them often...

He lowers his stare to souffles and read the name he took so much care to write. The pretty name that sounds like sunshine and joy. He looks up again at her and now it all makes sense.

“Felicity...” he whispers, not blinking once, not looking away from those shining beautiful eyes.

It's not a dream this time.

It's real.

_She's_ real.

His goth girl is here.

His goth girl is back.

His goth girl is named... Felicity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I ended it right there!  
> I hope you enjoyed the song lol
> 
> As I said in the beginning note, I'll try to write the next chapter quickly! 
> 
> Next chapter is one of the most important one for the story it's very exciting!
> 
> \- Oliver and Felicity getting out of this awkward situation and giving each other some explanations on why they're here
> 
> \- There may or may not have some kissing and more....👀
> 
> Thank you for reading ! If you want leave a comment or you can tell me on Twitter @smoakgoth, kudos are always appreciated leave one if you want :)


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